Chicago Bears trade for six-time Pro Bowl WR Keenan Allen

The Chicago Bears have been selective in free agency since the negotiating window opened on Monday and things got underway Wednesday, but made a big move Thursday night to get immediate help for what many believe will be a new quarterback.

The Bears traded a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen, a league source confirmed. He’ll pair with DJ Moore to give the Bears the best pair of wideouts they’ve had since Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.

If the Bears select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick on April 25, they will have plenty of offensive backs, including Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, as well as new running back D’Andre Swift.

Allen, who turns 32 in April, was expendable for the Chargers, who are facing a serious salary cap crunch for new coach Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers released wide receiver Mike Williams and agreed to terms with Allen after he was reportedly unimpressed with the effort to reduce his salary.

Allen is under contract for only one season, and with roughly $44 million in effective cap space remaining, according to overthecap.com, the Bears will devote most of that to the proven quarterback. Allen will have a base salary of $18.1 million, and the Bears will also pay him a $5 million roster bonus.

The Bears traded two picks this week after sending a fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for interior offensive lineman Ryan Bates. The team now has four draft picks left: No. 1, No. 9, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick. They traded their fourth-round pick (No. 110) to the Chargers, but still have a pick in that round from the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 122.

The addition of Allen gives general manager Ryan Poles plenty of opportunities with the No. 9 pick. Knowing that Allen is only a short-term option, he could draft a forward running back, an offensive lineman, draft a talented wide receiver in a great draft, or consider the possibility of a trade to add depth. If the Bears keep Allen for just one season, they could receive a mid-round compensatory pick in 2026 if he leaves through free agency.

Last season with the Chargers, Allen caught 108 passes for 1,242 yards and seven touchdowns alongside Justin Herbert. He has surpassed 1,000 yards six times in his 11-year career and has had five 100-catch seasons in the last seven years.

Considered a technician as a route runner, this is a significant improvement for the Bears over Darnell Mooney, who did well for himself by signing a three-year, $39 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. Those numbers are nearly identical to the offer the Bears made to Mooney before the start of last season; Mooney turned that offer down before having a season in which he had 40 catches for 493 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen has missed 11 games over the past two seasons due to injuries, but the team likely relied on the nuanced scouting report of new wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, who spent the past three seasons with the Chargers. They have a better option than they would have had by entering free agency, and while Allen is currently on a one-year deal, the team has plenty of options in the draft.

With Moore and Allen, the Bears have an explosive wide receiver on the outside in Moore and a proven first down machine in Allen. Moore was quick to respond on X, the app formerly known as Twitter.

😬😬😬

— DJ Moore (@idjmoore) March 15, 2024

Opposing defensive backs may be reacting similarly because they are preparing for a completely different attack.